Playing Good Cop15

From my friend Christina Polcari:

What if Obama announced a plan today that promised green jobs for our urban youth, window panes and lower energy bills, urban gardens and lower medical bills, clean air and clean streets?

The Yes Men dare us to think so. They dare us to imagine the world is as we wanted it just for a minute. Earlier this week in Copenhagen, Canada dropped jaws when it announced a radical reversal of its climate change policy at the COP15. It was exactly the kind of action the world has been waiting for–bold and badass. But it was all a prank, compliments of the Yes Men.

We wanted a global deal out of the COP15. The Yes Men put the spotlight on countries standing in the way to publicly humiliate them. Because the people, the media, and the UN responded, and for a moment, we saw the change we believe in.

Last night, Jayme and Mahfam sat on the rogue Yes Men stage at the “Good COP15″ to tell our leaders about how urban communities are building a better environment and a better economy. People working together on projects like Green the Hood are the true agents of change.

This week, Mahfam has made us realize we need to go back home and “blow up our efforts and take them to the next level…to scale the movement.” She’s absolutely right. Coming from a global conference, to me, the next level looks more local. Our leaders can and must take bolder action but we have to do even more at home to show them exactly what that action looks like. Here’s to the next steps for our communities, the ones to scale the movement and to give our leaders no room to budge.

Posted by:

Heather Box

Heather and Jayme: Live From #COP15, Blowin Up The Radio Dial!

Heather Box and Jayme Montgomery on Davey D’s Hard Knock Radio

Check out this interview about COP15 and the talks in Copenhagen, aired on 12/17/2009 on Davey D’s Hard Knock Radio. Jayme and Heather talk about the mood of the conference as well as some of the intense protests they saw. Hard Knock Radio airs every day at 4PM on KPFA: check out the page for the show here!

Also, check out this clip from Heather, interviewed on 12/18/2009 on the KPFA Morning Show:

Heather Box on the KPFA Morning Show – 12/18/09

Heather talks about the general atmosphere in Copenhagen and the mood after President Obama’s speech about the climate negotiations. The KPFA Morning Show airs every weekday at 7:00 AM Pacific time on KPFA: check out the page for the show here!

Posted by:

Steve Romain

What You Can Do for Climate Justice TODAY #cop15

This message comes from Josh Lynch, an organizer with AVAAZ Action Factory:

Friends -

On Tuesday morning I posted this note on facebook:
“If you could see what is happening here in Copenhagen you would be outraged. After two decades of negotiating climate change policy to death, wealthy countries are blocking a real deal with weak targets and loopholes. The next 72 hours I will need you to act to seize the moment of Copenhagen. Please be prepared to act.”

Now is the time to act. First I will ask for what is needed. Then I will explain some context.

1. This is going to sound crazy. I need as many of you who possibly can to organize a sit-in in your Senator’s office to read 12 millions names of global voices demanding a fair, ambitious, and
legally-binding climate treaty in Copenhagen. The first sit-in of this kind was a nine-hour act of civil disobedience by 19 international youth outside the main plenary in Copenhagen. This sparked solidarity reader sit-ins at the Canadian Prime Minister’s office and the U.S.
State Department on Thursday. On Friday youth are calling for a non-violent civil disobedience to demand a fair, ambitious, and binding climate treaty on the final day.

Here is a guide to help you pull it off:
http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2009/12/17/solidarity-sit-ins-spread-resources-for-your-own-event/

The original story:
http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2009/12/17/live-blog-youth-activists-refuse-to-leave-before-everyones-voices-are-heard/

2. Call President Obama (202-456-1111) to urge him to “support the call of the most vulnerable nations for a 350ppm carbon reduction target and a goal of keeping temperatures below 1.5 degrees celsius in the global climate treaty.” This has been a critical demand of vulnerable nations in Copenhagen fighting for their survival.

That’s it. Now some context as promised.
… Continue Reading

Posted by:

The Editor

COP15: Fasting for Survival?

Follow all of Jayme’s and Marcia’s copenhagen coverage at http://youngvoter.org/cop15

Fasting today and my stomach hurts. Not because of fasting but because if we don’t get a deal, we should not have children. It is a matter of survival.

Heard yesterday that the negotiations are going to go at least through the weekend. We HAVE to keep on pushing! Contact your Congress person NOW!

~Marcia Lee

I really don’t like to miss meals i.e. fast. But when we, meaning the U.S., are making a conscious decision to not take all the steps to stop global climate change I have NO CHOICE but to turn my fork down. Join the movement before it really is too late.

~Jayme Montgomery-Baker

From the folks at Climate Justice Fast…

We, the participants of Climate Justice Fast!, are undertaking our international hunger strike in order to call upon world leaders – and all people, everywhere – to act with courage and good faith for our common, global good, by implementing the most rapid possible transition to stabilise atmospheric greenhouse gases below 350ppm CO2-e, and by committing to deliver justice for the global poor and future generations – who are the least responsible for causing climate change, yet who suffer the most from its effects.

Climate Justice for the poor and for future generations can be delivered by funding climate adaptation and mitigation activities in
developing nations with at least US$195 billion per year; by reducing and rejecting over-consumption, wherever it exists, and by phasing out both deforestation and fossil fuels completely – starting with the elimination of developed countries’ fossil fuel subsidies, shifting them
 wholly to renewable energy and international climate finance.

We urge all people, everywhere, to make a commitment to join the movement for climate justice, and to not to give up until we succeed in these demands being met.

Fasting today and my stomach hurts. Not because of fasting but because if we don’t get a deal, we should not have children. It is a matter of survival.

Posted by:

Jayme Montgomery

COP15: What you need to know!

Follow all of Marcia’s copenhagen coverage at http://youngvoter.org/cop15

Hi! My name is Marcia Lee and I am a volunteer of the Wisconsin affiliate of The League of Young Voters and Education Fund. I have been on location in Copenhagen since last Monday and will be providing some information on what has been happening inside the center where the officials have been meeting to negotiate a treaty and basic feedback on the last couple of weeks. Please comment and let me know if you have specific questions and I will do my best to answer! I’ll start with the basics

1) Why is this meeting called COP15?

The conference is not called COP15 because it is based in Copenhagen. COP actually stands for Conference of Parties and the number 15 follows because this is the 15th year that these meetings have been happening. In 1990, the United Nations General Assembly decided to work on climate change and the first meeting occurred in 1995 in Berlin.

2) What is the purpose of this meeting?

According to the official COP-15 website, “The overall goal for the 2009 (COP15) United Nations Climate Change Conference hosted by Denmark is to establish an ambitious global climate agreement for the period from 2012.”

This meeting between the highest environmental ministers in the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) is supposed to decide how we will move forward as a globe to address climate change in light of the fact that the Kyoto Protocol is supposed to expire in 2012.

3) What is the Kyoto Protocol?

The Kyoto Protocol was the only document on climate change that was agreed upon as legally binding guidelines (countries that have agreed to the guidelines have to follow through according to international law). The guidelines are aimed to reduce four greenhouse gases that impact the ozone layer that protects us from the sun. The agreement was made in 1997 and formally ratified in 2005 when a certain number of countries signed on.

4) What has the U.S. done to apply the Kyoto Protocol?

The U.S. has not done anything. Our government rejected the Kyoto Protocol and is also one of the greatest hindrances to a deal in this negotiation.

5) Why is this meeting such a big deal if they have been meeting for 15 years?

This conference is a big deal because there are over 150 heads of states that are gathering today and tomorrow to work on coming to an agreement. This is very important because the heads of states for most countries have the ultimate power to make decisions for the country. It is a bit more complicated in the U.S. because we have to get approval from the Senate and House as well. But if President Obama does agree to something, it will have much more weight than if a representative for the U.S. did.

Posted by:

Marcia Lee